By IDRIS OLUKOYA

Mr. Sesan Olowa, Chairman of Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area of Lagos State, has appealed to the Arewa community in the larger Onosa Community of the council to remain calm over the alleged killing of their kinsmen by a policeman.

Olowa made the plea during a meeting with the Arewa community leaders in Ibeju-lekki area on Sunday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that a policeman allegedly shot and killed a commercial motorcycle (Okada) rider on Thursday in the community.

Speaking during a meeting with leaders of the Arewa community led by Seriki Abubakar, the council chairman described the incident as unfortunate and avoidable.

He urged members of the community not to take the law into their hands but to allow justice to prevail.

Olowa said he had listened with rapt attention to the account of the Seriki-general, who narrated how the killings occurred and the subsequent civil unrest in the community.

He assured the people that the culprit would be brought to justice.

The council boss also pledged that the relatives of the deceased would be duly compensated.

He disclosed that a peace and security committee would soon convene a meeting between the leadership of the Okada Riders Association in the community and the police to critically review the incident and prevent recurrence.

“Justice will be served, and we will do everything possible to maintain peace and unity in our community,” Olowa said.

NAN reports that the meeting was attended by; Abdullahi Sadu of Onosa community, Abdurasaq Sahabi, Epe Seriki, Rabiu Umaru, a family member of one of the deceased, Musa Sule, Chairman, Arewa community in Ibeju-Lekki.

Others are; Hassan Muhammed, Seriki of Awoyaya, and Mustapha Shabi Ibrahim, Secretary-General of the Arewa community in the local government area.

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Olohundare Jimoh, has issued a fresh directive prohibiting officers at divisional and area command levels from arresting commercial motorcycle riders.

The order, which was relayed from the Control Room of the police command in Ikeja on Saturday, emphasized that only the Lagos state Task Force has the authority to arrest or impound motorcycles.

Similarly, the command said it had taken into custody, six officers of the Elemoro Division who opened fire during an altercation with the okada riders in the community.

The spokesperson for the command, Benjamin Hundeyin, said in a statement that the commissioner of police, after restoring normalcy in the community, met with the youth and community leaders to calm tension and avert further breakdown of law and order.

He added that although the policemen, whose identities were not disclosed, had been detained, the command would conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances that resulted in the shootings, urging residents to remain calm. (NAN)

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